Amusing Musings From the Wine Road: Between Yellowtail and Wine Snobs, the Middle Class

Alright, I have to admit my postings were non-existent last week. I have a good excuse.

We were rather busy celebrating my fifth "Big-0" birthday. It came with amazing surprises from my wife and my daughter, who is almost five. And it came with the contemplation only possible after completing five decades - some good, some disappointing.

It was also a week where people showed up from all over the country to commemorate my time on the planet. Leslie had planned a celebration that began at 11 AM, and lasted late enough to appreciate the meteor shower, after which a particularly special bottle of scotch was surprisingly, somehow, inexplicably... half empty.

No wonder we solved all the world's problems. No wonder we were brilliant. And no wonder I haven't posted for a week...

Well, that and the fact we've abandoned our home for a week while a family from the Loire visits. They'll return the favor in early October, when we'll use their Touraine apartment as our home base for ten days.

In this, my first posting of my sixth decade, I leverage the voice of another wine merchant that I consider to be the beacon for the future - Gary Vaynerchuk. In a recent interview with Wine Enthusiast, Gary describes a vision I share, and reveals why he has his finger on the pulse of future wine drinkers.

I'd like to say that, together, we're blazing new trails in the wine business. But the reality is, I live in his shadow, my sales equal to a rounding error in his many tens of millions. At least so far. He is so well positioned to dominate tomorrow's wine world that today's giants don't have a clue about how to compete with him. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they don't even know he's breathing down their necks.

And as much as I'd love to hate a guy like that, I respect his work. And I share his egalitarian view on wine. To wit...

"It may seem far-fetched but I’d like to see people drinking 365 bottles a year, all different, and enjoying them not because anybody is telling them to, but because when it touches their palate it’s something they like."

Hell, I love what he's doing (except for his wine ratings, which strike me as a vestige of the old school - if we don't rely on ratings to choose a recipe or restaurant entree, why do we rely on them when choosing wine???)

So here is my point of reflection - the Wine Enthusiast interview gives you a glimpse of where I am going, and the list below provides a glimpse of where I've been. It answers the seldom-asked but decent question, what would a wine merchant serve at his own birthday party? At least, to the best of my recollection - one or two others may have found their way under a corkscrew at some point.

Sparkling Wine, the wine of celebration!
Roederer Brut Rosé
Roederer 1997 L'Ermitage Magnum

Refreshing Whites and Rose's
Uvaggio, 2006 Vermentino
Navarro 2006 Pinot Grigio
Navarro 2006 Gewurztraminer
Navarro 2006 Riesling
Breggo Cellars 2006 Pinot Gris
Breggo Cellars 2006 Sauvignon Blanc
Standish Philo Rosé of Pinot (shown here after being unintentionaly transformed into a Rosé Popsicle after spending just a tad too long in the freezer. Yeah, right. Of COURSE you've never done anything like that!)